‘Scandal’ Review: ‘You Got Served’

SCANDAL - "You Got Served" - Olivia knows she can't handle this latest storm on her own and calls for help from an unexpected source. Meanwhile, Mellie and Cyrus continue to pull strings from the sidelines and Jake is still occupied by a ghost from his past, on "Scandal," THURSDAY, OCTOBER 22 (9:00-10:00 p.m., ET) on the ABC Television Network. (ABC/Byron Cohen)
TONY GOLDWYN, ROMY ROSEMONT, PORTIA DE ROSSI, DARBY STANCHFIELD

This week’s episode, “You Got Served,” was equal parts of real truth being dropped by everyone from Olivia to Jake (I begrudgingly admit this) and snark from Leo and Fitz’s new lawyer, Patricia Snell. There was also a whole lotta crazy from Cyrus, but that’s a day ending in “-y.” To be completely forthright, I have to admit I laughed way too hard at the headlines: “Grant’s Groupie,” “Mistress in Chief,” “Olivia Poke,” and “Here We Ho Again.” I sincerely hope there was a writer’s room competition for these.

Anyway, picking up from last week where Mellie agrees to help the Senate indict Fitz, she gets her wish, and the Senate launches their attack. While Fitz is following Patty’s advice and dumping literally thousands of documents on the Senate investigation committee for them to find something on him, Olivia is hiring Leo Bergen as her fixer. Leo is obnoxious, arrogant, brash, and hilarious, at least to me. They settle on a plan of Olivia as “A Woman of the People.” It’s ridiculous, but it does attempt to make Olivia look less elitist and more in touch with the everyday person. I call b.s. on this plan because that’s not even something Olivia can sell. Her closet is literally Prada’s showroom, and it always has been. That’s not judgment, that’s fact. Olivia earned Prada, Gucci, and her grocery delivery by building her business from the ground up, usually off the dumbass mistakes of other people, but that’s neither here nor there. She’s an independent, wealthy woman so the first PR path really irked my nerves.

OPA and Leo then decided that getting Edison to go to bat for Olivia is the way to go in the PR narrative. Eff. This is when Olivia realizes that her epic, and I mean epic AND hypocritical burn of Edison, is going to come back and bite her in her newly clad Target wardrobe ass. By the way, Edison ain’t had anything to do for years except rock in a corner and repeat “A criminal, a whore, an idiot, and a liar,” so you just knew that he was going to revel in her coming to see him for a personal reference. In the end, Edison does give a glowing personal reference for Olivia on national television, but at the cost of Olivia throwing herself on her sword for the sake of her relationship with Fitz. Honestly? It’s another hurdle in a long list that Olivia continues to have to get over day by day.

Once again, in the middle of all the chaos, Olivia turns to Jake for support. I don’t actually understand this plot point and never will, but I do appreciate that Jake makes a valid point of Olivia being afraid to be tied to the White House for the rest of her life. There’s no going back if Olivia does this. Don’t get me wrong, I fell in love with Olitz the moment those two locked eyes in season one, but I’d remiss if I didn’t point out that Olivia is giving up her life as she knows it to be with Fitz. She hates being the story in the media, she hates drawing attention to herself in public, and she hates having to rely on others to “fix” her life, and she’s living all of this on a daily basis now. That said, give Jake something to do besides be Olivia’s bestie. Something in Paris with Elise would be great.

Of course, just when Leo starts to get a handle on the situation for Olivia, Doux Bebe’s existence is leaked to the press and all hell breaks loose once again. Olivia now has to give an interview to sell her story of “a doe-eyed woman unable to resist Fitzgerald Grant.” I kinda wanted to vomit. This isn’t Olivia, this isn’t her voice and the awkward beginning of the interview demonstrated that perfectly. But when she took a moment and actually answered the question of regretting getting involved with Fitz, the real Olivia Pope FINALLY stood up and said:

“I wish I never laid eyes on him. I wish we never met. If we never…I can’t tell you how hard it’s been to watch my friends, family, my acquaintances being dragged into this spotlight because of me. Clients being investigated and harassed by the media because of me. Loved ones having to potentially drain their savings to hire lawyers and face congressional committees, because of me. I wish I never laid eyes on him, because of them, and what they’re going through right now. But also…because…I’ve worked very hard to build a business, a business, whose only purpose is to help people become the best version of themselves. To stand in their truths, and face the consequences of their actions so they can gain forgiveness and move past their mistakes. Building that business was hard, and I didn’t do it alone, but I built that business and it’s something I’m proud of, something that…could all go away because I laid eyes on that man. That married man. If I never laid eyes on him, then I wouldn’t have fallen in love and he wouldn’t have fallen in love. That may have made for two more lonely people in this world, but also a lot less pain and heartache for many, many others. Senator Grant and the Grant children. For the people I love, for this country that I love. A country that expects us in Washington to solve problems, not make them. Is the love of two people worth… all this destruction, all this attention? I mean if it were a choice, who would choose this kind of love? So, I wish we never met. But we did. And I tried, I tried and failed. And I tried and failed again to hide, to stop loving him. But I couldn’t, I was weak. I hated myself. I wore this ring to remind me of my weakness, and when our affair was exposed I had to follow my own advice and stand in my truth, to own who I am, to accept my faults. And I won’t ask for forgiveness. Just don’t ask me to…undo the past. Don’t ask me to fall out of love with Fitzgerald Grant. Because if I could, I would.”

There’s not a damn thing to add to this perfect monologue, except to question what family she’s talking about, but let’s overlook that nonsense. This is Olivia Pope. Love or hate her feelings for Fitz, this is the truth and she’s finally taking a stand for it.

While Fitz and Olivia are strategizing on how to proceed with the investigation, Mellie is trying to play with the big dogs on Capitol Hill. Not surprisingly, she’s terrible at it. After buying into the Women’s Caucus of “united sisterhood and all of that,” the Senate turns around and tells this fool that she can’t be a part of the actual investigation because it’s a conflict of interest for her. Mellie is stunned and all I wanted to say was “welcome to the big leagues, Sherlock.” Because this idiot really thought she was going to be a part of the investigation of a man who is actively trying to divorce her. Mellie, of course, has to sulk and joins Crazy Cy in his binge of cheese, booze, and CSPAN. What kills me about these two is their combined bitching about Olivia ruining their lives. Come the entire hell on and join me in the real (Scandal) world. Fitz would not be president, Cyrus would have never been Chief of Staff, and Mellie would not have EVER gotten close to a Senate seat without her First Lady connection WITHOUT OLIVIA. And she’s the one who leaked the existence of Doux Bebe. GTFOH, Mellie and take Cyrus with you. These two lamenting over Olivia meeting Fitz in the first place has me rolling my eyes right out of my head and across the United States. If you find them somewhere over the Great Plains, please return them to LA for me, ok? Thanks.

I’d like to thank the writers for making Marcus loyal, because without his shadiness, Olivia wouldn’t have realized that the committee actually has evidence on Fitz going to war for her. I’d also like to thank them for the very Mr. and Mrs. Smith sexiness of Olivia telling Fitz about the problem they have during a thorough horizontal yoga session with background ambiance of Al Green’s “Let’s Get It On.”

Now, for my last observation: Fitz knows, via Olivia, that he has to get Cyrus back to keep him from corroborating the existence of the tape showing Olivia’s kidnapping. Cyrus knows that Olivia knows that this is the only way to avoid Fitz being impeached and thrown in jail. Cyrus That said, Jesus save the bunny known as Fitz from being boiled. Cyrus’ disturbing and thorough observation of Fitz from 17 years ago had me questioning if he had a closet full of Fitz’s pictures with candles lit and a live goat waiting to be sacrificed in Fitz’s name. If I had room in this article I’d type out the fantastic volleying between Fitz and Cyrus as they circle each other to gain the upper hand, but I don’t. I will say it’s one the better scenes I’ve seen Tony Goldwyn and Jeff Perry pull off during this entire series. Underneath his fury of being out of the inner circle, Cyrus is hurt. And a hurt animal lashes out to fight for their life. He’s not too hurt, however, to manage to get Fitz to issue him a full pardon for anything he’s ever done for the office of the president before he’ll come back to work for Fitz. Like he had no choice but to kill Amanda Tanner. Oh. Ok. Looks like the pit-bull is back in the White House.

Overall? Solid episode, and I’m not just talking about Tony’s abs. Except for Jake and Olivia being besties, that’s just weird and makes me talk to my television. What did you think?